One Day
by Raiyaka
Summary: One day. . . That's all it takes to uplift and shatter someone's entire world. Sasuke and Naruto learn this lesson the hard way. After a tragedy that had them separated for four years, a drastic measure brings them back together. But will history repeat itself in the most horrifying way? SasuNaru Yaoi
1. The Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

**WARNINGS:** SasuNaru – Yaoi – Male/Male Relationship, Graphic Sexual Scenes, Violence _(Warnings may change as story progresses.)_

**SUMMERY:** One day. . . That's all it takes to uplift and shatter someone's entire world. Sasuke and Naruto learn this lesson the hard way. After a tragedy that had them separated for four years, a drastic measure brings them back together. But will history repeat itself in the most horrifying way?

One Day

**The Prologue**

_Dead. . ._

Naruto stared at the answering machine like the machine itself had just betrayed him in the most horrible way. It was wrong. . . It had to be wrong. He went to push play again, the shaking in his hand so bad that it made it hard for him to push the right button.

A beep sounded. _"You have no new messages."_ The automatic voice said. _"You have one saved message. Message received at three, thirty-seven today."_ Another beep followed before a man's voice came on. _"Naruto. . ."_ His name was spoken, and he held his breath as he listened to the message for the second time. _"It's Itachi. I know it might be a shock to hear from me after all this time, but. . . something occurred. Sasuke. . . Sasuke was in a car accident yesterday. . . H-He didn't make it. He's dead, Naruto. . . Sasuke's dead. . ."_ Itachi's voice trailed off into a sob.

His body lost all its strength, knees buckling and falling to the floor on all fours. He heaved, his stomach rejecting the lunch he just had an hour before. _He can't be dead. . . He can't be. . ._ He lowered himself to the floor, laying there with his face pressed to the cool wooden flooring. The message continued to play above him.

It barely registered when Itachi's sobs subsided and he began to speak again. _"T-The funeral is two days from now. It w-would mean a lot if you were there. . . I. . . I hope you're all right, Naruto. Hope to see you, bye."_ Another beep sounded to indicate the message was over. _"End of message. To save this message, press one – to repeat it, press two – to delete it, press three."_

He forced himself halfway up and pressed number three. _"Message deleted."_

Naruto leaned up against the shelf then, the churning of his stomach not ceasing. He sat there for a long time, staring blankly at the wall across from him. A part of him knew that shock had settled in, it was the only explanation why he felt so numb. Why everything felt so out of reach. He was thankful though, because once that fog cleared. . . there was no saving him.

A lick to his arm had his head turning. Kyuubi, his wolf hybrid, sat beside him with his head cocked to the side like he was asking what was wrong. A whine escape his throat at the sight of the six year old dog. He was a birthday present from Sasuke on his twelfth birthday. His Uncle wasn't happy about it at the time, but he refused to get rid of him. And after the _incident_. . . Kyuubi's all he had.

He petted Kyuubi's head and pulled him close. "We're going home Kyuu." he whispered against burnish red fur before standing on wobbling legs and going to his room.

There was a duffel bag all ready packed under his bed. Always at the back of his mind. . . Always hoping for the courage to leave. He pulled it out and placed it on his bed. He knew exactly what was in it, packing and repacking it so many times, so he knew everything he would need was in the bag. Except one thing. . .

Naruto was heading to the alcohol cabinet in the living room when the front door opened. He froze as his Uncle Jiraiya came walking into the apartment. He was a large, intimidating man with broad shoulders and long white hair. A wide grin spread across the man's features, a smile that skillfully hid the ruthlessness. "Hey Naruto, what're you doin' home? Aren't you suppose to be in school?" A place he dropped out of a year ago.

Upon Jiraiya entering the apartment, Kyuubi began to growl at him and then bark once he moved further into the living room. The grin on his Uncle's face lowered into a sneer. "Will you shut that dog up." Displaying his true nature from under his mask of a carefree pervert.

Without answering, he turned around and headed back to his room with Kyuubi obediently following after him. His mind was on autopilot as he dug through his duffel to find the vial hidden within its confines. He had no doubts about what he was about to do. There was no room for doubt. Not when his chaotic emotions were right there, blissfully out of reach, but ominously waiting to consume him.

He went back into the living room where Jiraiya was just now sitting down on the couch. "You want a drink?" he asked flatly, not waiting for an answer since his Uncle always wanted a drink when he came home. He approached the alcohol cabinet and grabbed the Japanese Sake that his Uncle favored and a bottle of Jack Daniels for himself. He placed the Jack Daniels to the side while he brought out the vial from his pocket and emptied the contents in the Sake. He swished the bottle around, mixing the two substances together before grabbing a sake cup and bringing them both over to the coffee table in front of his Uncle.

Jiraiya smiled that same fake smile, and said, "Thanks brat."

He didn't stay around, choosing to go back to his room to dawdle for the next ten minutes. Then he slung his duffel over his shoulder, hooked Kyuubi's leash to his collar, and stepped back into the living room. No feeling past through him at the sight of his Uncle passed out on the couch. He only made sure the man was actually unconscious before he went over to pick up his bottle of Jack Daniels and headed for the front door.

As he closed the door behind him, one thought crossed his muddled mind. . . _Now he'll never know._


	2. The Funeral

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

One Day

Chapter One

**The Funeral**

The wooden flooring creaked beneath Naruto's added weight as he stepped into the doorway of his childhood bedroom. He took in the sight of his old room, seemingly frozen in time. Nothing significant had changed since the last time he's seen it when he was fourteen.

His bed was still snugged in the far corner from the door, a couple feet from the connected bathroom. The same forestry comforter set still tousled on top like the morning he woke up late and had to rush to school. His cluttered shelves and overstuffed dressers, his action figures, textbooks, and even his old dirty laundry were still sprawled all over the bedroom floor like the day it was last seen.

It was strange, seeing it as it was.

So many things had happened in this room. So many memories were still present in those cream colored walls, but the boy who used to occupy it no longer existed. Not within the eighteen year old who stood in the doorway now. It was whole other life. . .

He stepped further into the room, disconnected from the memories that flooded his mind. Once he reached the middle, he let the duffel over his shoulder fall carelessly to the floor along with yesterday's newspaper he got from the taxi driver. The front page story was of Sasuke's accident – stating in words to the world of his death.

Reality was slowly creeping up on him.

He was so close to crashing.

Naruto went over to the single patio door and his reflection in the glass had him pausing. His sapphire, blue eyes were blood shot and the three scars on each side of his face stood out prominently against his sickly pale complexion. He opened the door to break the image and allow the fresh air to flood into the musty room. A breeze fluttered his wild, blond hair, the coolness causing him to close his eyes at the feel of it.

It was Jacksonville, Florida; humid and hot during the summer. Here was where he was born and raised for the first fourteen years of his life. At the age of six, his mother died during labor with his younger sister, who also died shortly after due to complications. His father – being grief ridden – soon died of a broken heart not months later.

He was told he took his parents deaths well. Very few knew the reason why. It was because of his best friend Sasuke Uchiha, who always stood by his side and let him lean on him when he could barely stand on his own. Sasuke gave him comfort when he desperately needed someone who was just as much a part of his life as his parents were. Sasuke was the only one who he could truly rely on. Yet, even he was taken away from him by his father's older brother, Jiraiya.

The man raised him after his parents' deaths. He thought his Uncle cared about him. But when his Uncle finally got his chance after the _incident_, he made sure he never saw Sasuke again. So many lies were told he never once believed. Then Jiraiya went as far as to lock him up in a psychiatric ward for a year where he couldn't even contact Sasuke in any form. Although, even after being released for the next three years, he still didn't contact the raven. A deep-seated fear prevented him.

And now. . . it was too late.

When he opened his eyes again, tears were running down his face. He turned back to his childhood room, rubbing the tears away, and headed to his duffel bag. He dug through it and pulled out his bottle of Jack Daniels.

There was no denying it, he drank when he didn't want to deal with things.

He chugged a quarter of the bottle before he stopped and lowered it to the floor. That's when he noticed it. The picture frame located on the night table. If his memory served him, there were three figures that were captured in the photograph. It was a hard thing to know who was in that picture underneath the layer of dust.

One in particular, he hasn't seen in four years.

Not even in pictures.

He was denied even the simplest of pleasures.

Hesitation kept him from moving, his nerves crippling him from viewing the face he hasn't seen in years. He took another drink before taking a wary step forward. He kept his eyes trained on the wooden picture frame, watching as it came closer with every step he took.

Once he stood by the bed, he lowered himself on the mattress, a dust cloud emitting from it with his added weight. He wasn't in hurry to grab the picture, so he took another swig of alcohol. When he did, he grabbed the frame and brought it to his lap. He pulled the long sleeve of his gray hoodie over the palm of his hand and wiped off a thick strip of dust that covered the glass. That one swipe revealed the three faces underneath.

His fourteen year old self stood in the middle, grinning widely and radiating a happiness in hasn't known in years. To his right stood Sakura Haruno, her bubblegum pink hair shaping her face in two long braids. And then there was the raven haired boy who stood to his younger self's left, a smirk plastered on his pale features.

His heart jumped and lounged itself in his throat as he cleaned the rest of the glass surrounding his best friend and past lover, Sasuke.

The heat in his eyes intensified while looking over the features of his ex-boyfriend. Simply basking in those onyx irises and taking in every other detail he's forgotten over time.

They knew each other for most of their lives. . . since Preschool. He chuckled hollowly at the memory of their first meeting. Even with being so young it was still so clear. They were both playing with the building blocks and Sasuke tried to take the same wooden block that he was grabbing for at the same time. They both got into a tug-of-war match with that same block. Until Sasuke suddenly let go, resulting in him to fly back with the block toppling out of his hands and skidding across the room.

He remembered being so shocked at the abrupt change of events that he stayed in that position on the floor for a long moment. He almost didn't even catch the laughing from Sasuke over the other loud preschoolers.

When he pulled himself up, he tried to glare at the other boy, but apparently it only made the raven laugh harder. If he continued to stare at the boy's amusement, he was sure he was going to burst into tears. So he sucked up his upper lip, turned his body back to the other blocks with sharp movements and scowled at the innocent wooden toys.

He did his best to ignore the laughter that suddenly had gone quiet, but he paid no mind to that. He remembered being too intent on keeping the warm liquid that was already blurring his vision from cascading down his cheeks. He had promised his mom that he would be a big boy, and big boys don't cry. Yet he almost lost that battle when his bottom lip quivered uncontrollably. Then suddenly he was startled when his vision was overtaken by a body with an armful of building blocks. He tilted his head upward and found that Sasuke was the one who stood in front of him, smiling down at him.

"My name's Sasuke." the boy said. "We can share blocks if you want and build something big." Before Naruto said a word, the raven sat down and poured the blocks onto the floor between them.

Naruto stared at the boy in surprise, but with being a child at the time, the grudge lasted all of five seconds. He smiled brightly back at Sasuke. "Naruto!" he exclaimed, "Let's build something reeaally big!"

Ever since then, they've been best friends and particularly inseparable. It was when they turned ten that they confessed that their friendship had turned down a different road. That their feelings for each other had changed to a more intimate yearning.

A broken sob left his lips as the walls collapsed and the pain torn through him like a serrated knife. He gripped the picture frame and rested his head against the glass as he cried out his anguish. His grip tightened, to the point where his knuckles turned white. And in a violent impulse, he threw the picture to the floor. The glass shattered just like his heart when it made the brutal contact with the ground. It shattered the image which held the happiness he once had and could never have again.

Tears seared down his cheeks as he glanced around the room that held a past that was brutally taken away from him. He wanted it gone. All the reminders of what used to be. . .

The night table was shoved over first, sending everything on it hitting the floor with loud crashes. Next, he attacked his dressers. Using his arm, he swiped it over the tops and pushed the items over the edge. Then he pulled the drawers out and heaved them across the room, leaving dents and holes in the walls where they made impact. He moved to the bed and snatched off the comforter and sheets. Then the mattress was picked up and thrown off its frame.

By the time he was done venting his anger out, he slumped unceremoniously down on the floor. He buried his face in his hands and screamed out. As it trailed off, it trailed off into a sob.

Through his blurry vision, he saw the picture he previously threw to the floor, the shards of glass lying all around it. He crawled over to the picture, picked it up, and then crawled back to the mattress that was hanging off the bed at an odd angle. He curled up on it like a small child with him clutching the picture to his chest.

Kyuubi soon came to his side and licked his face, the dog's attempt to calm him down. But there was no calming him. Instead, he wrapped an arm around the dog's middle and pulled what he considered his only friend close to him. He stared at the photo until his alcohol induced mind allowed the darkness to drag him under and give him the rest he'll never be able to find while awake.

* * *

Itachi blocked out the sounds of the hospital as he walked down the busy hallway with yesterday's newspaper tucked under his arm, a small duffel held in his left hand and a cup of coffee in his other hand. He took a sip of the bitter liquid when he stopped with a group of people waiting for the elevator. He waited patiently, in no big hurry to get to his destination.

When the elevator door opened, he stepped inside and got promptly pushed to the far corner by all the others who were trying to file in. He rudely pushed his way forward to push the button for the Intensive Care Unit. The perfect place to hide someone.

It took several minutes to reach his floor. He maneuvered around the people in front of him, purposely elbowing a man for daring to touch his thigh, and stepped out of the elevator. The immediately turned right and walked down the quiet corridor. He couldn't say he was looking forward to this meeting. Three days of being locked in a room, it wasn't going to be a pleasant event. But in the end, it would be worth it.

After another turn he came upon the only room with a silver-haired man lounging against the door frame reading a book he knew required the reader to be at least eighteen years of age. He finished his coffee as he approached the man, also known as Kakashi, who didn't even look up from his book. "How is he?" he asked, handing over his empty cup to Kakashi to dispose of.

"Grouchy." came Kakashi's amused response.

"Hmn." He wouldn't have expected anything less. He entered the guarded room and upon entering, he was promptly slammed against the back of the door. Hands were clenched in his button down shirt and onyx eyes similar to his own glared back at him. For a brief second his thoughts wondered to when he got so tall. He was now the same height as him.

"Where the fuck have you've been?" the other sneered in his face. "I've been in here for three god damn days! Why the hell can't I leave?"

"Good to see you too, Sasuke."

* * *

Naruto's brows crinkled in discomfort at the ray of light shining straight into his eyes, slowly bringing him to consciousness. He groaned at the brightness and rolled over. The movement had a slobbery tongue swipe across the entire side of his face. "Kyuu. . ." he groaned in disgust, using his hand to push the dog away. Another lick was what he got for his protest. "Alright alright, I'm gettin' up."

Rolling over on his back, he dared to crack open an eye. That was a mistake. That damned sunlight was right there to greet him. Instead of doing that again, he turned away from the cursed light and tried again. He succeeded, then looked around and wondered where the hell he was. Then he remembered. . . and it was like the air got knocked out of him, that's how sudden reality came crashing down on him. He looked down at the picture laying beside him and felt sick at what today meant.

The funeral's today. . .

Tears fell as he was overtaken by chest racking sobs. There was no masking the suffocating pain that held a tight hold on him and continued to squeeze his breath away. He was too sober not to feel every ounce of emotion ripping and tearing him alive. He couldn't take it. . . He wasn't strong enough. . . _God, make it stop. . ._

Grabbing the Jack Daniels, he took a long drink. He needed that numbness back. . . so desperate to have it all shoved back and far away. And the golden liquid burning down his throat was the only thing now to provide him that. As artificial as it may be, he had to believe it would be enough to mask the effort it took to keep himself together. How else was he suppose to keep himself functioning?

He weakly wiped away the tears as he eyes glanced over to his phone laying a few inches away from him. He must have took out sometime during the night, because he doesn't remember removing it from his jeans. With a trembling hand, he pressed the screen – taking it off standby – and looked at the time that came into view. He took another drink when he found out that it was only four more hours before the funeral began.

How was he suppose to deal with this? How could he possibly stand there and watch as they buried the love of his life?

That was a hard question and one he didn't think he could answer.

Fresh tears fell, but he paid no mind. Nothing mattered besides making that razor sharp pain stop. He just had to have that numbness. . . Otherwise, he didn't think he would survive the day.

* * *

Like a caged animal, Sasuke paced back and forth in the hospital room. He was submitted three days prior for a minor head injury, which was the result of a car accident he might have caused. But it didn't warrant being locked in the hospital for three god damn days with only Kakashi poking his head in now and then. Of course, he tried to get pass the man and leave, but it was obvious he wasn't successful. Kakashi was good at following his brother's orders.

Voices sounded from the other side of the only entrance. He froze and intently stared at the back of the door as the knob began to turn. The next thing he knew, he had his older brother, Itachi pinned to the door and yelling directly in his face.

"Good to see you too, Sasuke." he spoke in his ever present calm tone.

That only irritated him more. "Don't bullshit me." he spat, "Why can't I leave this room?"

Itachi pried his hands off his pristine white shirt and stepped around him. "Have you tried?" He was damn tempted to punch that impassiveness right out of the other. Instead, he decided to give his most hated glare. "Of course you have." he muttered just as he threw the newspaper from under his arm at him. He caught it with a questioning look. "Look at the front page." Itachi told him offhandedly while taking a seat in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the room.

Giving his brother another look, he unfolded the paper where the front page was displayed to him and began to read the header. _'Drunk Driving Takes Another Teenage Life'_ Frowning, he moved on to the story and only got through half of it before blurting out, "This better be a joke."

"No joke."

"You killed me!" he yelled, furious while throwing the newspaper to the floor.

The only response he got was a casual nod of his brother's head and, "It wasn't easy either. You know how many people I had to pay off."

He couldn't believe his brother. "I get in a small car accident and this is what you do."

Eyes narrowed at him. "No." Itachi spoke with a sharp tone. "A small car accident would be a dent in the fender. You totaled your car and were lucky you didn't kill yourself in the process."

"So this is punishment?" he asked in astonishment.

Itachi shrugged, his tone falling back into his calm, casual voice. "Oh no, I have my own reasoning for doing this."

"What? Insanity?"

A sadistic smirk crossed Itachi's face. "Maybe. . ."

He learned at a young age how twisted his older brother could be, but this was by far was pushing it. Actually, it went straight past that thin line of morality that Itachi has never once crossed before. He's come close yes, mere centimeters, but never so blatantly has he took that final leap. And now he's presumed dead. That's the problem with having a Computer Analyst of the FBI with a few screws loose in the family. They could make you disappear from the face of the Earth with absolutely no remorse and nobody would ever question it.

Shaking his head, he sat down with a sigh on the rumbled white bed and almost subconsciously began to fiddle with the seashell bracelet around his left wrist. It was only a moment of silence before Itachi said, "I'm surprised; you're not killing me yet."

He scoffed, "Just wait."

"That's perfectly fine. It's not like we can afford another funeral right now."

There had to have been a mistake, because there was no way he heard Itachi right. "Funeral?" he questioned. His frown deepened when Itachi's features hadn't changed. "There's not gonna be any funeral." It wasn't a question, it was more like a demand. His brother hasn't lost his mind that much, has he?

An eyebrow lifted. "Why not? It's tradition. Funeral comes after death." Apparently his mind was long gone.

"So does cremation, but I plan to hide your body." he retorted.

"Nice to know, but there's going to be a funeral. Speaking of which. . ." Itachi leaned down and grabbed the small duffel from the floor, then threw the bag to his feet. "You might want to get dressed. The funeral's in a few hours."

"You can't be serious."

"Aren't you curious to see who'll show up?"

The way he said it and the glint in his eyes did have him a little curious, but still he deadpanned, "Not really."

Itachi merely shrugged it off. "Well, I am. Now hurry up and get dressed." He stood then and headed for the door. "We can grab a bite to eat before it starts. You must be _dying_ for some real food." Itachi was the only one who chuckled at his own bad joke.

Before he had the chance to open his mouth to protest further, Itachi was all ready out the door. He wanted to go after and scream at his brother for doing something so insane. This was his life, he had no right to uplift it and turn it upside down. That's all ready happened once, and he still hasn't recovered from it. It still feels like he's trying to find his footing on a downhill of frozen ice. And each time he thinks he can stand on his own, something reminds him. . .

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to still the almost uproar of emotion. It was nothing compared to that time, but it was enough to have his nerves a little on edge. When he opened his eyes again, he found his hand still fiddling with the seashell bracelet. He could have cursed his nervous habit if it wasn't so subconsciously done.

"_It's a present for you!"_

He ran his hand through his hair at the memories the bracelet always brought forth. It was one of those reminders that kept him from moving forward, but one he refused to part with. How could he? For wearing it a decade, it's particularly become a part of him.

"_I made it myself! Do you like it?" _

It was an unexpected present from his best friend and past lover, Naruto. One that was made out of seashells they both gathered one summer at the beach. He was so shocked by the surprisingly well made gift, because it wasn't like Naruto to piece together something so delicate. The blond told him it took him months with the thin wires of gold and the piercing the tiny holes in the seashells to get it right. The amount of time and effort he took to simply make something for him sent his heart blazing with warmth. It was the first time he felt something other than friendship for the blond.

His chest constricted painfully at the emotion that suddenly rushed him. He gritted his teeth stubbornly and wisely chose to push it all out of his mind. It never did any good to think about him. It only made him bitter and angry. At who. . . sometimes he had to wonder.

Sasuke got dressed in the black jeans, navy blue shirt, boots and jacket his brother brought for him. He stood in front of the door, hesitating. Would he allowed to leave? He scowled at the question alone and stepped out of the room. He didn't make it one step before a ball cap and sunglasses were handed to him. He looked to his left in an annoyed fashion to find Itachi leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Kakashi stood in a similar fashion across the hall with his eyes reading his ever present porn in his hand.

"Don't want to anyone to recognize you, now do we?" Itachi said in a way that made it unclear if he was being sarcastic or not.

He rolled his eyes. His sarcasm coming out loud and clear in his deadpanned tone, "Oh yeah, because these will definitely disguise me." He put them on anyway and followed his brother and Kakashi out of the hospital, too engrossed to be getting out to even bother arguing.

With Kakashi driving and Itachi in the passenger seat, he sat in the backseat as they went through a drive-through of some popular fast-food chain. There was a comment from Itachi about not wanting to take the chance of eating inside. That earned another eye roll, but he didn't complain. Eating hospital food for three whole days, he satisfied with eating a burger and fries in the car.

For the next two hours, they rode aimlessly around town with little to no conversation. One time they passed the place where his car took a beating against a tree, and he couldn't believe the amount of flowers and gifts that had accumulated there. Like it was some sort of Memorial site. It disgusted him really, just knowing that people he most likely didn't even know grieving over him.

When the countdown came down to being a half an hour left the Riverside Memorial Park came into view. At first he thought they were going to pass it, but when Kakashi turned into the drive his stomach knotted. The car was maneuvered through the winding road and on his right he noticed a small crowd forming in the distance. _Oh god. . ._ he thought as he averted his attention away from the sight. They drove a little farther away from where he suspected the funeral was being held, and then stopped.

Silence settled between them for a long moment, the only sound coming from Kakashi who was bringing out his book. Then Itachi spoke, "Are you ready for this?"

His brother didn't wait for his answer, he was all ready grabbing the handle and getting prepared to step out of the car. Sasuke stopped him though by grabbing the sleeve of his black suit. "Why would you go through all the trouble to pull something like this off?" he asked in his attempt at stalling. "What would my death bring you?"

"It won't bring me anything, Sasuke. There are only two people who'll benefit, and you're one of them."

Curious, he asked, "Then who's the other?"

Itachi smirked, "You're just going to have to get out of the car and find out."

He glared at the back of his brother's head as he got out of the car. He hated Itachi's round-a-bout ways at answering him. It was never straight forward. Every time there was an answer he wanted, he'd always have to jump through so many hoops just to get it. It was downright infuriating. And now with his life hanging in the balance, he was getting more pissed off the further his brother evaded his questions.

Still fuming, he forced himself out of the car and followed after Itachi while Kakashi stayed behind. He couldn't believe what he was doing as he moved closer to the burial site from behind two large oak trees. Here he was sneaking up on his own funeral. How many people could say that?

Peeking through the branches, he did a general overview of the crowd before going back to stare at the closed coffin. _Closed coffin?_ He must have been mangled pretty badly if he warranted a closed coffin. He shook his head, still not quite believing how far his brother took the whole thing. When he looked back, he noticed a couple coming and standing in front of the coffin. His parents. As he stared at them – his mother bawling into a tissue and his father holding her up – he couldn't help but feel a _little_ satisfaction.

"_Where's that sweet boy, Naruto?"_

That one sentence ran through his mind, causing him to feel no remorse over the situation. He didn't have it in him. Not anymore. Not after the countless visits where that one question was asked out of cruelty. Only because he chose _him_. . .

Eight years ago, his parents decided to move to Denver, Colorado to start the renowned restaurant chain, _The Shutter_. At the time, he had no desire to leave his life. . . to leave Naruto. So his parents moved there by themselves, leaving him with Itachi and Kakashi as their guardian. But ever since Naruto disappeared, they have made it their point in life to bring the blond up every visit. To exact that blown to his all ready bleeding heart. It was the best punishment they could give without actually laying a finger on him. And yet, Itachi still insists on those holiday visits.

He shook his head at their display and went back to glance around at the growing crowd. A shock of pink drew his attention to the people still approaching from the driveway. There, wearing a black dress that fell to her knees, was Sakura Haruno. She leaned against her best friend Ino Yamanaka, crying. Although he didn't understand why, they haven't spoken in years.

One could say they use to be friends in the most loosest of terms when Naruto was still around. Mainly, she was Naruto's friend, not his. He merely tolerated her better than any of the other people the blond tended to speak to. But after Naruto disappeared he severed any tie he had with her along with everyone else. He couldn't stand to be around any of them anymore. His tolerance died the day he found his blond dobe gone.

There was Tenten and Neji Hyuuga next to his cousin Hinata Hyuuga with her hand in Kiba Inuzuka's, who was probably only there because of Hinata. Shikamaru Nara walked besides Choji Akimichi along with Shino Aburame and an unusually solemn Lee. What surprised him the most out of everyone that showed was that Sai was there, since he broke his nose three years ago. Then his jaw a year later. . .

On purpose.

He couldn't stand the guy. Never could since the the sixth grade when he transferred into their school. Even Naruto, who liked particularly everyone, tried to keep his distance from him. Saying their was something creepy about him, and the dickless comments didn't go over well at all either. Not for Naruto and definitely not for him.

There were others he only recognized by face and a lot more he didn't recognize at all. It was ridiculous. When he thought it couldn't get any worse, a school bus pulled up. _You've got to be kidding me. . ._ He cursed his very existence as – what he could only guess – the rest of the senior class began to file out of the bus. He really had no idea why they were all there. A school assignment maybe?

"Dammit." Itachi cursed, drawing his attention to him. "I really thought he would come. He even bought a plane ticket and boarded the damn thing, but where is he?" Itachi muttered to himself.

"Who?"

"Wait, wait, wait. . ." Itachi trailed off with his eyes solely focused on one spot.

When it seemed like Itachi wasn't going to continue, Sasuke followed his brother's line of vision and. . . froze.

What appeared to be a guy in a gray hoodie and blue jeans came stumbling forward. He stopped about five yards away from the general crowd, his head down with the hood obscuring the view of his face. But he didn't need that view to have his heart ramming against his ribcage, not with the dog by his side to give him the real clue.

A wolf hybrid.

"He's the reason for all of this." came Itachi's voice right next to his ear. He was too shocked to be startled, and in the next second, it was gone. It hardly registered as his brother moved around him and left the area.

It didn't matter. . . All that mattered was the one he hadn't had a chance to lay eyes on in four years.

"Naruto. . ."

* * *

Being there was different than what Naruto could ever have expected. Seeing all the people, all the familiar faces, the coffin. . . no amount of alcohol could have prepared him for the wave of agony that washed over him just then. It was like acid had entered his system and was slowly killing him from the inside out. He choked on the sob that released from his mouth. He couldn't breathe through the agonizing pain, and as he stared at the coffin holding the love of his life, he didn't think he would ever breathe again.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and he jumped. He turned a little too fast in his drunken haze and he stumbled a couple of steps back. The hand was back on his shoulder to steady him. "Whoa. . . careful." the person said, but he jerked out of the hold and stumbled a few more steps before steadying himself.

Once the spinning in his head slowed, he finally took in the black hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, the onyx color of his eyes, and the sharp angular face. Itachi. He turned away from painfully familiar features, unable to look at him, and went back to staring at the large photo stationed next to the closed coffin.

"It's good to see you here, Naruto." Itachi said, moving to stand by him. "He would have been happy."

_Would he?_ The question popped into his head, the doubt quickly following. There was no reason to think he would. It was just a way to relieve some of the guilt that weighed heavily on him. And it wasn't fair. Why should his suffering be any less when Sasuke was gone? _Nothing_ should make that feel any better. . . Absolutely nothing.

"I came to say goodbye." Naruto found himself saying. "I. . ." he choked. "I never got t-to be-before."

The hand was placed on his shoulder again and this time he only flinched at the touch. "On some level I'm sure he understood." That had him scoffing quite loudly in disbelief.

He somehow pulled his gaze away from the photo and looked up at the older man, who all ready had his eyes settled on him. "Understood? The only thing he could've possibly _understood_ was that I left him alone."

"You didn't leave Naruto." Itachi spoke in such a calm and assuring way that it infuriated him to no end. Like he knew everything. "You had no choice in the matter." Even if it was true, he couldn't stand having any of the guilt being lifted. It was too late for that. He was just too late. . .

He threw Itachi's hand off of him and glared at the man with pure venom. "You don't know anything!" he yelled at Itachi with anger he wasn't sure was even directed at him. But he was too messed up and he honestly couldn't care to work it out. He needed someone to lash out to and right now, Itachi was the only one available. He shoved at Itachi's chest, continuing to yell, "He didn't know! How could he?! How could he have known I didn't want to leave. . ." he trailed off into a whisper.

His anger sizzled out like a blown match, leaving him tired. So tired. Using his sleeve, he wiped his wet and snotty face, unsure when he began crying even if he ever stopped to begin with. He pulled Kyuubi along with him as moved around the silent Uchiha, fully prepared to leave. "Naruto. . ." Itachi called, but he ignored him. He needed to get out of this place. Far, far away so maybe it wouldn't feel like they were burying him also.

How was it a good thing to come, he wondered as he stumbled his way through the cemetery. The sounds of the people thankfully growing smaller and smaller. Suddenly he found himself face first on the ground, groaning. All he could come up with was that he must have tripped on something. Kyuubi whined at him, nudging the side of his head with his snout. He rolled himself over and chuckled at his own stupidity. It didn't last though as it tapered off into a painful sob.

His eyes drooped in sleepiness while he stared up at the clear, blue sky through his blurry vision. Vaguely he heard leaves scrunching, but paid no mind to it since Kyuubi wasn't seeing them as a threat and barking. A shadow fell over his face and it was only then that he glanced to the side to find someone crouched besides him. He felt a hand gently run through his hair, and he sighed at the familiarity of it. His head fell in the same direction as the figure when the hand was retracted, seeking out that same comfort he's sought out for most of his life.

"You're a mess, dobe." came the soft voice he would recognize anywhere.

He squinted to see through the blur of his own tears. It took a moment, but his vision momentarily straighten out to see the face of his former lover. "Sasuke. . ." He was too far gone at that point to be startled. He simply smiled at the raven, thinking that maybe he hit his head on his way down and it all was finally ending. Why else would a ghost be visiting him?

Exhaustion pulled him under and he closed his eyes, not fighting it. There was no reason to, because for the first time in years. . . he felt safe.


End file.
